About Ilise Benun

Business Expert for Creative Professionals

Ilise Benun is the author of 7 business books for the “creatively self-employed,” a national speaker and founder of Marketing-Mentor.com and adjunct faculty at Maryland Institute College of Art. 

She tailors her group coaching and one-on-one mentoring to the needs of each and every creative professional who engages her and helps you build the business that provides the freedom you want.

There is no big-ticket "program" to commit to. Every session is customized to provide exactly what you need when you need it -- no more and no less. You won't be overwhelmed by material or left to figure out how to apply the idea to your own situation. 

During her more than 30 years in business, she has developed and delivered programming for creative professionals, notably as instructor in the "Business of Design" graduate program at Maryland Institute College of Art "and as co-founder/host of the Creative Business/Design Entrepreneurship program of HOW Design Live.

She has also developed popular online courses for CreativeLive.com:

Connect with Ilise Benun on LinkedIn.

 

Speaking

Since 1993, Benun has been conducting marketing workshops for art schools and trade organizations that cater to creative professionals, including HOW Design Live, HOW Interactive Conference, Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario (Canada), Graphic Designers of Canada, NY Designs (LaGuardia Community College/CUNY), AIGA, Spark, Graphic Artists Guild, SCAD, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), The School of Visual Arts (NYC), Pratt Institute, Kendall College of Art and Design, Sage College of Albany, New Jersey Creatives, The Freelancers Union, Editorial Freelancers Association, International Freelancers Day, International Association of Business Communicators, Business Marketing Association, NYU Entrepreneurship Summit, the 92nd St. Y and many more. 

 

(More videos and details here: http://marketing-mentor.com/speaking)

Writing

Benun is the author of 7 books, including, “The Creative Professional’s Guide to Money,” “The Designer’s Guide to Marketing and Pricing (HOW Design Books), “Stop Pushing Me Around: A Workplace Guide for the Timid, Shy and Less Assertive” (Career Press), “The Art of Self Promotion,” "Self-Promotion Online" (HOW Design Books) and "Designing Web Sites:// for Every Audience" (HOW Design Books). She also co-authored “Public Relations for Dummies, 2nd Edition” (Wiley) with Eric Yaverbaum and Bob Bly. 

Benun is also the host of 2 podcasts, (the Marketing Mentor Podcast and the HOW Design Live podcast) and the lead author on 2 blogs: The Marketing Mix Blog (named by QuickBooks as one of the 100 Best Business Blogs) and the Creative Freelancer Blog, and publishes a bi-weekly email newsletter, "Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor," which is read by 12,000+. Her work has also been featured in national publications (both online and off), including Entrepreneur.com, HOW Magazine, Toronto Globe and Mail, Inc. Magazine, Nation’s Business, Self, Essence, Crains New York Business, Dynamic Graphics, Working Woman, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Denver Post and more. 

More here:

Curriculum Development

Benun is Program Partner for HOW Design Live and co-founder in 2008 of one of its original events, The Creative Freelancer Conference.

Benun has also developed and delivered online courses for Maryland Institute College of Art's Graduate Program, The Business of Art & Design and HOW Design University, most as part of the Certificate in Creative Business Entrepreneurship, including:

  • Graphic Design Proposals 101
  • The Key Steps to Earning More in Your Creative Business
  • Strategies for Creative Freelancers
  • Developing A Successful Online Marketing Plan
  • How to Start Your Own Freelance Business

She was also the lead developer and trainer of a curriculum for the Freelancers Union called, “Freelance 360: How to Be a Better Boss of You,” which included a series of 6 workshops and panel presentations led by “expert freelancers” covering:

  • Work, Life and You: Staying Sane While Managing All Three
  • Setting a Strong Foundation for Your Freelance Business
  • Thriving Networks: Marketing and Connecting That Works
  • Be Their Go-To: Building Lasting Relationships with Clients & Collaborators
  • Work Smarter, Not Harder: Streamlining Your Day to Day Freelance Life
  • Planning for Growth

Want more? Lots of podcasts & video interviews here (in chronological order):

When Ilise isn't working, you can find her walking Fanny in Forsyth Park.